Fluid circulation control for fluid couplings



Jan. 23, 1951 J. E. BECKER FLUID CIRCULATION CONTROL FOR FLUID COUPLINGSFiled April 25, 1947 InuBntJcn? JUHN EI-EIEBKER Qttnrne Patented Jan.23, 1951 FLUID CIRGULA'EIQN CONTBJQL FQR'FLUID COUPLINGS JohnEdward-Becker, Toronto, @ntario, Ganada,

assignor to Atlas Polar Company Limited, To-

ronto, @n'ta'rio,

Canada Application April 25,

7 Claims.

The invention relates to improvements in fluid circulation controls forfluid couplings, and the object of the invention is to contain theimpeller and "runner of the coupling in a housing which is free torotate therewith. The impeller is fur-- nished with centrifugal pumpvanes, and a braking mechanism is provided to govern the rotative speedof the housing, whereby-a variable speed differential between theimpeller centrifugal pump vanes and the housing can be established toproduce a resultant pumping action to remove fluid from the coupling;such fluid removal being capable of being accomplished either veryrapidly or at variou slower speeds, dependent i'lpon whether therotative movement of the housing is virtually brought to a standstill'or reducedbelow the speed of the pump vanes.

A further and particular object of the invention is to positions. fluidreservoir above the coupling and into which fluid removed from thecoupling is emptied and from which the fluid returns to the coupling;the passage of fluid through the reservoir being controlled whereby anydesired driven speed of the coupling may be maintained.

With the foregoing other Objects in view. as shall hereinafter appear,my invention consi ts of a fluid coupling constructed and arranged allas hereinafter more particularly described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal cross-secional view throughnonreversible type of coupling.

Fig. 2 is an end view, reduced in size, of the couling shown in Fig. 1.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts inthedifierent views of the drawing.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2. the driving shaft 2 extends through afluid seal ring 3 and bearing assemblies and 5 contained within :astationary hub 5. A fluid feed pipe 1 extends upwardly from the hub ii.A driven shaft-8 is positioned iii-alignment with the driving shaft 2,and has its inner end 9 of reduced diameter and extending into a needlebearing 1 8 contained within the end of the driving shaft .2. The outerend. of the driven shaft extends througha bearing'll and fluid seal ringi2 contained within a stationary hub it. The hub l3 seals the outer endof a cylindrical shell l hfrom which a'iluid .outlet'pip'e l5 extends upWardly.

An impeller housing it of orbicular form is secured to .a flange ill onthe inner end of the driving shaft 2, so that the housing rotates withthe Shaft. The central portion of the'impeller housi Canada,

a corporation of 1947, Serial No. 744,000

Cl. {iii-54) ner end of the driven shaft '3.

projects upwardiyinto the reservoir, an adjusted in height by means of ahandle at. .Each ofthe radial pipes contains a checkvalve ing is piercedby a number of orifices it for the passage of fluid from the feed pipe lto the interior of the impeller housing. A lrustro-conical shaped platei9 is secured to the nner portion of the impeller housing andconstitutes a deflector to assist the centrifugal force in guiding thefluid leaving the feed pipe "5 through the or fices it. As will be seen.upon reference to Fig. 1, the i111- peller housing i6 is ofsubstantially fi-shaped cross-section. The inner portion 2& of thehousing it, remote from the portion'secured to the flange ii, is spacedaway f "om the driven shaft The outer face of the impeller housing Itcarries a plurality of fins 2i which act in the capacity of centrifugal.purnn blades, and the housing is pierced, in the cinity of the pumpblades, with a plurality of orifices for the outward passage of fluidwhen the fins ll are in pumping operation.

The impeller housing it contains a concave ring shaped runner housing2-? which its corn on portion attached to a 2' 5 upon the in- Theimpeller housing it and the runner housing 23 carry a p urality of theusual radial blades and Eli which support the usual ring members 21? sothat passages for the .id transmission. of power are formed.

The impeller housing is encased with outer housing Ell which is normallyfreely rotatable. "Ihe driving shaft end of the ho carried upon a ballbearing surro .hllb E, and a fiuid'sealing ring 35 i also provided.

slcaf municating through the shell l4 with the fluid outlet pipe iii.

A brake band assemolytl surrounds the hots;- ing 2% and is operable le/er and lint: con nection The application of the brake retards or stopsthe rotative movement of the housing 2 A reservoir fit mounted. a ovethe Gillipling assembly. The upper end of the fluid out let pipe extendsup'wardlyinto the reservoir and the upper end of the fluid feed pipe iscontained Within a slidable.regulatingsleew which be 43 positioned inproximity to the periphery of the housing 29, for the purpose ofpreventing fluid being centrifugally forced outwardly through the pipes35 against the inward flow of fluid under the influence of the pump finsor blades 2 I.

Operation Upon reference to Fig. 1 it will be realized that the quantityof fluid admitted to the coupling from the reservoir 46 can be governedby adjustment of the height of the slidable regulating sleeve 4|. Whenthe top of the regulating sleeve is below the level of the fluid in thereservoir, fluid will flow downwardly through the pipe 1 until the fluidlevel in the reservoir incides with the top of the sleeve. To put thecoupling, as shown in Fig. 1, into operation, fluid is permitted to passfrom the reservoir into the outer housing 29 from where it will passthrough the orifices l8 into the impeller housing I 6. The fluid inrotating from the impeller blades 25 will impact the runner blades 25,With the resultant rotation of the runner and the driven shaft 8. Itwill be apparent that a proportion of the fluid will be contained withinthe outer housing 29 exteriorly of the impeller housing l6, and as theouter housing 29 is free to rotate, it will be also apparent that theouter housing will be carried in rotation at substantially the samespeed as the impeller housing. Under these conditions the fins 2! willhave no pumping capacity, due to the fins and the outer housing 29having substantially the same rotative speed.

It will be readily understood that if the rotative speed of the outerhousing 29 is reduced below the rotative speed of the fins 2!, that acentrifugal pumping action will immediately occur, and fluid will bepumped from the housing 29 through the pipes 35, and fluid outlet pipeE5 into the reservoir 43. signed to permit fluid to pass from the outerhousing 29 through the pipes 35, but will not permit fluid to passthrough the pipes 35 into the housing 29.

To remove a proportion of the fluid from the coupling in order to reducethe speed of the driven shaft 8 relatively to the speed of the drivingshaft 2, it is only necessary to reduce the rotative speed of the outerhousing 29, by means of the brake assembly 3?, when fluid will be pumpedfrom the coupling into the reservoir to. The return of fluid from thereservoir into the coupling is controlled by adjustment of the height ofthe sleeve 4!. It will therefore be appreciated, that by manipulation ofthe sleeve 4! and/or the brake 3?, that any driven shaft speed can beobtained and retained, ranging from substantialy the speed of thedriving shaft, to reducing the driven shaft speed to a standstill. Itwill be also appreciated that by braking the outer housing 29 to astandstill, that the centrifugal pump vanes 2! on the impeller housingwill immediately evacuate all fluid from the impeller.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A fluid coupling comprising a driving shaft, a driven shaft, abearing assembly in which the driving shaft is mounted, a bearingassembly in which the driven shaft is mounted, an orbicular impellershell of substantially S-shaped crosssection and which is secured to thedriving shaft, a plurality of radial impeller blades secured with in onehalf of the shell, a concave ring-shaped runner housing secured to thedriven shaft and contained within the other half of the impeller shell,a plurality of radial runner blades secured The check valves 43 are delwithin the runner housing and adapted to be driven by the impellerblades through the medium of a fluid, a freely rotatable housing inwhich the impeller shell is contained, radially positioned centrifugalpump fins protruding from the outer face of the portion of the impellershell in which the runner housing is contained, the impeller shell beingpierced with fluid outlet orifices adjacent to the fins, bearingassemblies upon said first bearing assembly and the driven shaft andupon which the rotatable housing is freely mounted, fluid normallycontained within the impeller shell and in the freely rotatable housing,a brake engageable by the housing and by which its rotative speed may beretarded, a fluid reservoir, and fluid inlet and outlet conduitsextending between the fluid reservoir and the coupling.

2. A fluid coupling assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the impellershell outlet orifices are positioned between the fins.

3. A fluid coupling assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fluidoutlet conduit extends from the peripheral portion of the rotatablehousing to the reservoir, and the fluid inlet conduit extends from thereservoir to the central portion of the rotatable housing.

4. A fluid coupling assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the impellershell is pierced by a plurality of fluid inlet orifices in the Wall ofthe cen tral part of the portion of the shell containing the impellerblades, the fluid inlet conduit extending from the reservoir to thecentral part of the impeller shell containing the inlet orifices.

5. A fluid coupling assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the impellershell is pierced by a plurality of fluid inlet orifices in the Wall ofthe central part of the portion of the shell containing the impellerblades, the fluid inlet conduit extending from the reservoir to thecentral part of the impeller shell containing the inlet orifices, andwherein the outlet conduit extends from a rotatable fluid chambersurrounding the driven shaft, and a plurality of fluid outlet pipesextending from the fluid chamber to the peripheral portion of the freelyrotatable housing in which the impeller shell is contained.

6. A fluid coupling assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the impellershell outlet orifices are positioned between the fins, and wherein theimpeller shell is pierced by a plurality of fluid inlet orifices in thewall of the central part of the portion of the shell containing theimpeller blades, the fluid inlet conduit extending from the reservoir tothe central part of the impeller shell containing the inlet orifices.

'7. A fluid coupling assembly is claimed in claim 1, wherein theimpeller shell is pierced by a plurality of fluid inlet orifices in thewall of the central part of the portion of the shell containing theimpeller blades, the fluid inlet conduit extending from the reservoir tothe central part of the impeller shell containing the inlet orifices, arotatable fluid chamber surrounding the driven shaft and. from which theoutlet conduit extends to the reservoir, a plurality of fluid outletpipes extending from the fluid chamber to the peripheral portion of thefreely rotatable housing in which the impeller shell is contained, andwherein the impeller shell outlet orifices are positioned between thefins.

JOHN EDWARD BECKER.

(References on following page) REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Lewis Oct. 11, 1932 FtittingerOct. 2, 1934 Number 6 Name Date Bauer et a1 Jan. 15, 1935 Yingling Aug.11, 1936 Beaumont Apr. 27, 1937 Alison Jan. 16, 1940 Sinclair Dec. 7,1941 Martin 1 Mar. 7, 1944

